Athlone attacks

LizzyD

Bit scary don't ya think... what happened to Athlone being small and safe...

slowharry

hope they catch the f***er pronto. i supose nowhere is safe anymore.

LizzyD

Yeah hopefully... was out in AIT last night and there were loads of taxis around and Gardaí so obviously they're taking this seriously.

offaly1

I remember hearing stories about attacks in athlone when i was in college there over 5 years ago!

There was an attack in Tullamore 2 weeks ago, and there are rumours that it could be the same guy as the athlone attacks.....:eek:

Hopefully this sadistic madman is caught and sooner rather than later!!!!

LizzyD

Really, didn't hear that bout Tullamore... when exactly did it happen. Was the woman seriously assaulted. It's awful to think that ya can't even walk home with a friend. Last night was lovely and my friend and i could have easily walked home but we didn't cuz it would have meant heading towards that bridge. Some ppl are also thinking it could be the guy that murdered that poor girl in galway. So sad.

fluffytulip

Funny how the guards only sprung intp action after the 3rd attack. They shouldve been out patrolling after the 1st attack.

Always takes something serious to make this stupid country wise up. :rolleyes:

LizzyD

Yeah I know! They're everywhere now... although i think people are beginning to forget that they ever happened. A few friends (two girls) stupidly walked home last night over the brdige.
Someone also told me that there is a garda in town who picks up girls, brings em home, gets their number, and what not. A taxi driver told me, said the garda is a bit of an arse and he's taking away business from the taxi drivers. anyone hear about this?

BoB_BoT

LizzyD wrote: »

Yeah I know! They're everywhere now... although i think people are beginning to forget that they ever happened. A few friends (two girls) stupidly walked home last night over the brdige.
Someone also told me that there is a garda in town who picks up girls, brings em home, gets their number, and what not. A taxi driver told me, said the garda is a bit of an arse and he's taking away business from the taxi drivers. anyone hear about this?

eh wouldn't entirely say that's true with regards to the taxi driver and the gardai, probably just a taxi driver pissed of with the gardai makin up stories, or as usual the rumor mill is in full swing.
someone makes a complaint about a garda comin on to you after offering to escort you home during working hours... could get the garda in a lot of trouble.

Also seriously doubt that the garda are willing to play taxi even if it does help them pick up scantly clad drunk girls. :P

Most people think the attacker is long gone from the town, as it's kinda hard to hide away for this long without people seeing / reporting you. Especially with €10,000 on your head.

No harm in being careful either, if you drive around at 3 on a Friday/Saturday night, you're still bound to spot girls walking around on their own, guys aswell. I'd be very weary about walking around on my own at night, you never know what scumbag is gonna try and jump ya for no reason.

Oh well, nothing new there then :P

eoinhealy

I moved to Athlone to my Girlfriend 4 years ago. The first day I got here there were garda all over the bridge. Some one had been beaten to death by 2 or 3 people under the bridge on the connaught side.

At the time I was living up near the canal beside the batteries.
It was Paddys night and myself, the girlfriend and a few others were out in the Prince of Wales having a few drinks after the Parade. I was running out of money at about 8 oclock so I went home to get some more. I was walking throught the car park at the back of counnaght street when some gobsheen jumped on my back and told me to give him what ever I had or he would slash me. I swung him off me, and gave him a suck a dig in the gob, he ran like lightening, but I must have hit him so hard cause my hand was cut to bits and blood pouring everywhere.

Another night myself and 2 friends were walking home (living in Shannon Weir at this point) across the bridge after a hearty night out. Some ejit thought it would be a good idea to hold a knife up to my friend. I pulled my friend back and told the guy that if he is willing to pull a knife out he better be willing to use it, I told him that if he does not use it on me I would use it on him. He ran so fast it was funny.

What I am trying to say in all my rambling is, most of these people attacking people in Athlone are really just stupid wooses. I'm not a big man but I find that the last thing they expect is for someone to stand up to them. So when you do, they get scarred and leg it.

But if you are a girl walking alone (Dont walk alone if you can help it) and some one approaches you, run as fast as you can to the next closest person, or into a pub, shop, restaurants, anywhere. Don't feel embarrassed about making a fool of your self, cause it could save your life.

tubos

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1030/athlone.html

Redrocket

was this scummer ever caught???
I thought he was...

demanufactured

Nope , theres always a garda car at the bridge every night.

Hes long gone id say.

AckwelFoley

Yea, the cops are on the bridge every night looking for me. j/k

Wa the rumor of him being a foreign national ever confirmed?

Tbh, i dont think he will strike again.

Saruman

Was in Athlone over new years and saw pictures of him everywhere... pretty cool... I guess its a made up picture from witnesses.

_feedback_

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlqlidgbey/

breakingnews.ie wrote:

Garda detectives were today investigating possible links between a serious assault on a 19-year-old woman in Athlone and three similar attacks.

The woman was set upon on the Old Dublin Road in the town at around 2.30am today, near where three other women have been attacked in the last 18 months.

Gardaí said the latest incident took place at the Bonavalley Bridge and forensic officers were examining the scene.

The attacker, believed to be a young man, was wearing a black top and may have been dressed all in black.

The four attacks have all occurred in the same area, near the Athlone Institute of Technology, which is hosting Freshers’ Week for first year students.

Students’ Union president Micheal Fogarty said it had warned students to be vigilant.

“The Students’ Union at AIT implements an ongoing safety information programme and ’Stay Messages’ were an integral part of student induction last week,” he said.

“We will be reinforcing the message that students not walk alone and remain vigilant at all times.

“Our priority is to ensure the well-being and safety of the students at AIT.”

He said buses have been organised to ferry students between the town and the campus in an effort to stop people walking home alone at night.

The latest incident comes almost one year after a number of serious assaults on women in the area.

A woman was attacked while walking along the same stretch of road in October last year.

The previous month, another woman was set upon by an attacker who dragged her to a secluded area.

The first attack, which occurred last August, was reconstructed in an RTE Crimecall programme.

The victim was assaulted while she waited for her friend who went in search of a taxi after the pair left a nightclub in the town.

She was dragged into a disused bus-park where the attacker severely beat her. He ran off after the woman fought back.

A €10,000 reward was offered by Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest of the man believed to be responsible for the attack following last year’s incidents.

Was anyone arrested for last years ones?!

neaideabh

fluffytulip wrote: »

Funny how the guards only sprung intp action after the 3rd attack. They shouldve been out patrolling after the 1st attack.

Always takes something serious to make this stupid country wise up. :rolleyes:

That's such a cheap shot at the Guards. Sure enough that if it came to a minor offence they would probably try and avoid looking into it as it would take up too muxh time and resources, but on the first incident at Bonavalley Bridge, the Garda were doing as much as they were for the third time and today.

BoB_BoT

neaideabh wrote: »

That's such a cheap shot at the Guards. Sure enough that if it came to a minor offence they would probably try and avoid looking into it as it would take up too muxh time and resources, but on the first incident at Bonavalley Bridge, the Garda were doing as much as they were for the third time and today.

today? something happen today too?

demanufactured

Yeah there was another attack there this morning , ,hope they catch the bastard soon.

BoB_BoT

right, had a guy telling me about it in work last night, but I was in college yesterday and heard no mention of it, or even notices up on the SU screens to say don't walk alone or similar.

The bastard deserves to be tied to a car and dragged through the town. Probably too good for him actually.

von Smallhausen

another attack last night???? didnt hear about it? was it in the same place?

and that f**k*r should be castrated or have his fingernails pulled off with a pliers or if thats not punishment enough stick him in a jail where he will be raped and sodomised for life!

Smudgeyboy

Im going to tell ye some information on how the Guards handled this because I feel you all should know.

I was living in the house closest to the attacks last year, during the three attacks. One actually took place in our back garden going by what the guards told us.

Anyway, we were all in our early 20's/late teens, all irish, loads of friends in the area, all had and still have long term girlfriends.

The detectives felt it was their right to come into our house (without warrent, reasonable suspicion or invite) while we were in bed, and snoop around our house.

We all gave statements that morning, everything checked out fine or course. Very very rude awakening but understandable given the situation.

Until they couldnt find the guy!

They parked a surviellance van, facing the wrong way, with blacked out windows, outside our house without our permission or without even mentioning it to us in passing.
Before we knew what the red van in our yard was doing there, we went to check it out. Knocked twice, no answer.
Knocked a third time to see the window roll down. A thick headed Guard politely said "Piss off I'm a ****ing guard". Delightful.

Our phones were all tapped for at least this duration (obviously, beeping, echoes, never had before and we all had it.)

They also felt they had the right to tell us how to enter our garden (after they had failed to catch the guy) and publicly humilated us about it on the road. Everyone looking would have thought we might be the guys.

Grr..anyway, they are useless bastards. My heart goes out for that girl.

Maybe if they spent the money they spent trying to pin it on us (we threw alot of parties) on maybe paying for Guards to patrol the area their might not have been more than one attack.

120_Minutes

Smudgeyboy wrote: »

Im going to tell ye some information on how the Guards handled this because I feel you all should know.

I was living in the house closest to the attacks last year, during the three attacks. One actually took place in our back garden going by what the guards told us.

Anyway, we were all in our early 20's/late teens, all irish, loads of friends in the area, all had and still have long term girlfriends.

The detectives felt it was their right to come into our house (without warrent, reasonable suspicion or invite) while we were in bed, and snoop around our house.

We all gave statements that morning, everything checked out fine or course. Very very rude awakening but understandable given the situation.

Until they couldnt find the guy!

They parked a surviellance van, facing the wrong way, with blacked out windows, outside our house without our permission or without even mentioning it to us in passing.
Before we knew what the red van in our yard was doing there, we went to check it out. Knocked twice, no answer.
Knocked a third time to see the window roll down. A thick headed Guard politely said "Piss off I'm a ****ing guard". Delightful.

Our phones were all tapped for at least this duration (obviously, beeping, echoes, never had before and we all had it.)

They also felt they had the right to tell us how to enter our garden (after they had failed to catch the guy) and publicly humilated us about it on the road. Everyone looking would have thought we might be the guys.

Grr..anyway, they are useless bastards. My heart goes out for that girl.

Maybe if they spent the money they spent trying to pin it on us (we threw alot of parties) on maybe paying for Guards to patrol the area their might not have been more than one attack.

i think you may have a case for harassment. if you can prove it.

AckwelFoley

This attack took place outside the old chadwicks from what i could see with all the crime scene tape blocking off that area.

Im suspicious that it has taken almost a year between the attacks.. is it a clue that perhaps it may be a seasonal migrant like seasonal worker or a student?

Is it because there are more people of the victims type around the area during the winter months and not in the summer? Or is it because the perpitrator himself is perhaps a student?

Or merely coincidence?

Saint_Mel

snyper wrote: »

This attack took place outside the old chadwicks from what i could see with all the crime scene tape blocking off that area.

Im suspicious that it has taken almost a year between the attacks.. is it a clue that perhaps it may be a seasonal migrant like seasonal worker or a student?

Is it because there are more people of the victims type around the area during the winter months and not in the summer? Or is it because the perpitrator himself is perhaps a student?

Or merely coincidence?

Was thinking the same myself ... but then again, whatever twisted f*ck is doing this might be thinking about college and new students who wouldnt be familiar with the area or the previous goings on, so they would have no reason to be weary of the area.

_feedback_

snyper wrote: »

This attack took place outside the old chadwicks from what i could see with all the crime scene tape blocking off that area.

Im suspicious that it has taken almost a year between the attacks.. is it a clue that perhaps it may be a seasonal migrant like seasonal worker or a student?

Is it because there are more people of the victims type around the area during the winter months and not in the summer? Or is it because the perpitrator himself is perhaps a student?

Or merely coincidence?

Yeah it's a good point, that a lot of people are making .. I think it was very close to this time last year that the first one was?

But as Saint Mel said, they could just be preying on students and not actually a student themselves..

Really hope they catch the sick fu<k.

Smudgeyboy

The Guards have left this one wide open for copy cats.

We could be talking about 4 different attackers, they've put all the blame on the one photo fit.

AckwelFoley

Smudgeyboy wrote: »

The Guards have left this one wide open for copy cats.

We could be talking about 4 different attackers, they've put all the blame on the one photo fit.

Unlikely

Beating and raping the victim is the modus operandi of most street attacks that involve a rape assault, so therefore cant be classed as a copycat.

Also, the specific details of the attacker, while still broad, are specific enough to limit the "copycat" to being a sallow skinner foreign national, again decreasing the likely hood of it being a copycat.

Smudgeyboy

There are thousands and thousands of thin sallow skinned foreigners in Athlone.
First photo fit looked like your average white fella, remember, then they released the current one after the second attack.

I meant more copycat in way of location.

AckwelFoley

Smudgeyboy wrote: »

There are thousands and thousands of thin sallow skinned foreigners in Athlone.
First photo fit looked like your average white fella, remember, then they released the current one after the second attack.

I meant more copycat in way of location.

o RLY?


there have being two phofits of the attacker, each having little simalarity with each other, however this is not uncommon, photofits of known convicted attackers can vary greatly.

Im rather confident and will bet the top 12" of my penis that its the one guy.

neaideabh

At least there is one person trying to get to the bottom of this!!!

Check it out.

It has to be a sick joke!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Y0NYq0D3U

cherryghost

erm... i only heard about this the tuesday, i was walking back from karma and i saw two people jostling near the bridge, but couldnt make them out... didnt take any heed of it.... maybe i should have, just slipped my mind till i was told the tuesday night that there was an attack the night before...